Albus Potter and the Mystical Manuscripts
by manicpixienightmare
Summary: Albus Potter, Curse Breaker and Resident Thrill-Seeker, embarks on an adventure to find ancient manuscripts that are rumoured to hold the secrets of magic.


A/N: I'm posting chapters as I write which means they haven't been beta'd or edited. I'm hoping to get at least a couple of chapters out every month, maybe more if time permits. Names and historical places used in this are purely for fictional purposes.

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 **Chapter 1**

Albus breathed a sigh of relief as the gates to the temple finally closed, allowing him to move away from the hiding place he'd been crouching in for the better part of the hour. Shaking off the ache in his calves, he made crept along the shadows to the outer wall and peered around the corner. He could see only one guard on duty, patrolling at the far end, and one priest who was locking up the smaller shrine after his final evening prayers. Pulling out his wand, Albus muttered a quick _Homenum Revelio,_ before nodding in satisfaction as the results came back clear. It would be hard enough making his way through the place without having to evade guards.

He made his way to the small gate at the back of the temple, and unlocked it with a swift motion of his wand. It opened with a low creak, ringing in the silence, causing chills to go down his spine despite the warm weather and full moon outside. It seemed ominous, a sign that danger lurked in coffins and sacred slates for the slightest misstep; Albus loved every second of it. This is what he lived for - the thrill of exploration, the constant fear of getting discovered, the prickling sensation at the back of his neck, the fidgety fingers and racing heart that accompanied his adept movements with a wand, sidestepping loose tiles and possible booby traps… that ultimate feeling of pride and wonder when he discovered things that no other human had before, not for centuries at least. No matter what anyone else tried to tell him, Albus was certain that this trumped anything else he could possibly do with his life, and was definitely way better than settling down with a family.

Pulling out a well-used notebook from the pocket of his cloak, Albus shuffled the pages of his scribbled notes and directions, muttering to himself as his darted between the notebook and the inscriptions on the main temple wall. It had taken him weeks of study and talking to the locals in Cairo to gather all the information he needed to make it this far. Even so, he was still not absolutely certain that he was in the right place or that wasn't going on a fool's mission - every detail he'd gained had been shrouded in what ifs and varying possibilities, stemming from old wives' tales and ancient myths. Still, he had to be certain.

"A sacrifice to make waters flow again," Albus muttered to himself. "A drop for each cycle gone amiss."

He unsheathed his wand once again and placed the tip against his left palm.

"Well, here goes nothing… My offering, Khnum."

Blood trickled from the freshly drawn cut on his palm. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven drops in the dead centre of the offerings stone, an ornamental splatter of deep red liquid brimming with magical energy, before getting sucked into the surface and getting replaced with a glow of light that dispersed into a trail of sparks leading straight into the wall opposite him.

It wasn't often that Albus was taken by surprise these days. It wasn't the event itself, but rather, the high improbability of it _actually occurring_ that led to him gaping at the wall in shock for a few minutes, almost reaching out to it before pulling his arm back and shaking his head to clear it. He couldn't afford to lose focus here. One wrong move was all it would take to end up as rat food by the night's end.

He began intoning a ward sequence, his practiced movements fluid as he directed his energy towards detecting any potential enchantments. The sacrifice may have revealed the way but that didn't mean it would grant him safe passage. Ceremonial places like this one, especially, were known for their booby traps. Particularly nasty ones as well. Triggered by the slightest movement or magical presence just when one's least expecting it.

And there it was. Tied to the wall _itself_ so that anyone passing through it would be cursed in the most frightful manner before they even got to the other side. There was no telling what the curse would be, and Albus definitely didn't want to chance triggering it, even if he was curious to know what it would do.

Certain that everything else about this area seemed safe enough, Albus moved forward and took out a rune stone from his pocket, affixing it to the wall and tapping it twice with his wand. It began emitting a faint orange glow.

"I guess I can do with losing an arm," Albus said to himself, before sticking his left arm through the wall and holding his breath.

The wall began to grow lighter, _translucent,_ as if it were an illusion, and yet… _solid._ Albus was impressed.

He flexed his fingers to make sure everything was still intact and plunged through the wall. It felt heavy, like moving through layers of jelly, but filled with a power that made his nerves thrum with a sort of _violent_ energy, the weight of it pressing into his chest. Just as he felt like his lungs were going to get crushed under the force of it all, he was out on the other side, falling to his knees and gasping for breath, his curiosity about the curse completely gone. If this was what it felt like _contained_ within his ward, then he definitely did not want to know what it would do in full force.

"Lumos," he muttered, his wand tip illuminating the area in front of him, stretching into the deep hollows of a tunnel that twisted and turned into the temple's depths.

Deactivating the rune stone on the wall, but leaving it be in case he had to exit out the same way, Albus inched forward, with his wand in his right hand and his trusted dragon tooth knife clutched in his left.

He didn't know how much time had passed since he'd entered the tunnel. Thirty minutes, he reckoned, maybe more. This was where his training came in handy. Being a Curse Breaker not only taught him useful magic and techniques, but also a level of patience that most magicals did not possess. So far, he hadn't come across any signs of magic, and anyone else would have let their guard down and dashed forward to see what lay at the end. But not Albus. Having been the unfortunate victim of some minor curses and traps - a side-effect of the profession he'd chosen - he was constantly on edge, wand twirling and jabbing with every step he took, ever-vigilant.

Just as the tunnel began to widen out, he noticed it. A trigger, buried under layers and layers of hexes and wards, meant to make any unsuspecting explorer walk right into it and probably lose a few limbs, if not their life. If it weren't for Albus' Occlumency shields, the compulsion charms around the trigger would have led him right into it. Deciding it was better to not direct any magic at it for fear of bringing the whole tunnel down around him, Albus tiptoed around the area, and just about made it to the cavern beyond.

It lit up as soon as he stepped in, torches fixed all around the room, burning furiously and casting shadows all around, adding to the mystery of the place. In the middle was a stone altar, simple and elevated, positioned in front of a statue of an ancient-looking bearded man surrounded by sculpted waves. At his feet, lay skeletons covered with dust and cobwebs, some reaching out as if looking for a way out, others with their jaws open in silent screams. The walls were adorned with hundreds of inscriptions and murals, some showing a vast, flourishing kingdom, and others, a barren land stretching into the horizon with no sign of life in any form.

"The ritual chamber of Khnum," Albus breathed. "This is it."

After another round of detection spells and making sure there was nothing else waiting to attack him, Albus precariously made his way forward to the altar. On top of it lay a scroll, old and weathered, in danger of crumbling at the slightest touch. Albus hastily muttered a strengthening charm and gently unfurled the parchment. It was covered with symbols that Albus could make neither heads or tails of. Deciding it was better not to dawdle here to figure it out, he cast another strengthening charm and pocketed it to translate later.

He then pulled out a shrunken camera from his coat pocket, enlarged it, and began taking pictures of the chamber, making sure to cover every inch of it without missing out on any detail. He had to be quick though; it would be daylight soon and he had no idea how long he'd already been in the hidden chamber - he had to erase all signs of the passageway and his little escapade before the priests began to arrive, and some of them were insanely early-risers.

A sudden noise jerked Albus out of his process and he spun around, whipping out his wand. It sounded like the ground below him had rumbled… or rather, _moved._ Quickly taking the last two pictures he needed, he shoved his camera away and cautiously inched towards the tunnel entrance, ready to get out of there before it all came crashing down on him.

Grains of dust began to trickle out of the cracks in the ceilings, and the sound of rushed footsteps began to echo in the confines. All of a sudden, flashes of light were coming his way and it was only his trained reflexes that had him put up a _Protego_ in time and dive out of the way to take cover behind the statue.

An unearthly scream filled the air and Albus looked up to see a masked wizard caught in the trap just outside the cavern. He winced as the ground seemed to move and draw the wizard into it, trapping his legs and pulling him further and further into it. Albus watched, shocked, unable to move or comprehend the scene in front of him. Just then, two more wizards came running out of the tunnel, one of them straight into the trigger once more. Stakes came out of the ground to meet the tender portions of his skin, unforgiving and unavoidable. And with a final gurgle, he fell still.

The third wizard had frozen in place, luckily just beyond the trap's range, while his companion had fallen into the trap.

"Who are you?" Albus called out to him. "What are you doing here?"

The wizard looked up, and within a moment, spells were raining Albus' way, chipping off portions of stone and cutting through the inscriptions behind him.

"Are you insane?! Do you really want to destroy this chamber?" Albus yelled, casting shields to keep the walls from tumbling down. "Goddamn it. Stupefy!"

The wizard dodged the streak of red that flew at him, and began hightailing it back the way he came.

"Oh, no you don't," Albus muttered, and gave chase, sidestepping the trap's trigger and hurtling down the tunnel.

He ducked a beam of blue, rolled to the side and retaliated with three back-to-back stunners. They missed, but one of the beams hit the sole of the masked wizard's shoe, causing him to tumble. Albus ran forward and threw himself at the wizard, knocking him over to the ground. They began to trade punches, neither of them able to free themselves or use their wands.

"Who the hell are you?" Albus grunted in the middle of the scuffle, kneeing the wizard straight in the stomach, getting an upper hook into his jaw in return. He fell back and scrambled for his wand.

"Protego!" He shielded against a curse thrown his way. The attacker resumed his sprint through the tunnel, gaining more distance.

"Impedimenta, Stupefy!"

Both of Albus' spells were deflected and he was forced to defend himself from return fire. A cutting curse struck his cheek and Albus gasped from the sudden sting of pain. Eyes watering, he flung his knife in desperation towards his attacker, brandishing his wand wildly.

"Stupefy! Incarcerous!"

There was a loud thud and the spells stopped.

The attacker was on his knees, struggling to free himself from the bonds that entwined his limbs, his fingers scrabbling to reach the wand fallen on the ground beside him.

Albus marched forward and kicked the wand away, before pulling off his assailant's mask. He was met by cold, dark grey eyes, rimmed with the shadows of a haunted pasts and the grime of sleepless nights, hollowed and sunken, framed by hard cheekbones and skin dotted with scars.

"Who are you?" Albus growled. "How did you find this place?"

The man remained silent, his jaw firm, and light glinting off his bare scalp as he wrestled to free himself from his bonds.

"How many of you are there?" Albus continued, prodding the man with his wand. "Why are you after the scriptures?"

The man spat at him.

"If you won't talk here, then I'll just take you back with me. We have all the time in the world. You'll see," said Albus.

"What makes you think you have the right to question me, boy? And what are you doing invading this sacred space?"

The man's voice was gravelly, a thick edge to his accent.

"I could ask you the same thing," said Albus, straightening up and pulling the scroll out of his pocket. "What do you know about this?"

The man's eyes narrowed, a sharp glint appearing in them as he eyed the ancient, weathering scroll. His attempts to break free became even more frantic.

"You don't know what you've got yourself into," he said. "You're dealing with powers beyond anything you can imagine."

"I assume you're referring to the Council."

"Foolish boy. You have no idea."

"Then tell me. Who are you? What do you want with this?"

"Go to hell."

Albus pocketed the scroll and crouched down, his face mere inches from his attacker.

"I _will_ find out what you know, by any means necessary," he hissed.

A moment later, he let out a gasp of shock and staggered back, rubbing at his shoulder and blinking furiously to remove the white spots that were impeding his vision.

"You BIT me, you asshole!" he yelled. "Stupefy!"

The overpowered red bolt of magic missed and hit the opposite wall, rapidly filling the tunnel with dust from the crumbling stone. The man rolled to the side, grabbed his wand with his still tied-up hands, and vanished with a pop, leaving a couple of his fingers behind.

"Shit, shit, shit," Albus cursed.

The tunnel was quickly coming down around him and he had no choice but to follow suit, spinning in place with his destination firmly in mind, hoping he wouldn't leave any important organs behind.

Just as the ceiling was about to fall, Albus disapparated and landed in the Ministry Headquarters, clutching his leg and howling in pain.

He rolled around, desperately willing his head to stop pounding. Blood filled his vision, gathering in pools around his palms, on the floor.

"Dear Merlin, Albus!" he heard a voice call out. "We need a Healer in here! Now!"

The world was fading in and out between flashes of light, the pain in his leg increasing with every second. His breath came out in shallow gasps and Albus wished for it all to end.

"Stay with me, Potter. You're going to be alright. Stay with me."

Albus closed his eyes.

"He's losing consciousness! Quick, get me Blood Replenishing potions and floo St. Mungos!"

"Potter. POTTER. Drink this."

Albus felt a potion being shoved down his throat and forced himself to open his eyes, squinting with the effort it took. He gagged and spluttered, head spinning and the world around him blurry. His head lolled back, and then, everything went dark.


End file.
